Edith Poulsen Singing Recital and Accompanists’ Prize Competition — Monday 25 April, 10:30 am

Singers should enter competition 200 – entry fee £35

Accompanists should enter competition 201 – entry fee £25

Venue: Hampstead Garden Suburb Free Church, Central Square, NW11 7AG

Adjudicators — Singers — Janis Kelly — Accompanists — James Baillieu

The singing competition is open to singers who are at conservatoire, have graduated within the last three years or are awaiting the start of their post-graduate course. The accompanists’ competition is open to pianists who are at conservatoire or are awaiting the start of their post-graduate course.

If an entrant has been a pupil of the Adjudicator in the year prior to the Festival or is well-known to the Adjudicator, they should contact the Section Head before entering.

Singers of a high standard unable to fulfill the above criteria should instead enter competition one of the other Festival singing competitions.

The recital can last up to 20 minutes with a maximum of five pieces. Entrants must sing one choice from each of four out of the five categories listed below, plus a fifth piece of their own choice, if desired.

1. Early English or Italian song from the 16^th or 17^th
2. A song from the 19^th or 20^th century sung in German, French or another European language.
3. An aria from an opera, to be sung in the original language, with or without recitative.
4. An aria from an oratorio, in the original language or in English, with or without recitative.
5. A 20^th or 21^st century English or American art-song or folksong.

Singers and accompanists should enter separately, but include a note on their entry if they are to perform together:

A £500 cash prize will be awarded to the highest placed singer. This will be given in memory of Edith Poulsen, who was born in Vienna on 10 April 1918, arrived in London on 6 April 1939 as a refugee and passed away on 4 April 2020. Her grandfather first took her as a 7-year-old to see the opera Hansel and Gretel, and she became hooked, enjoying opera for the rest of her life. She was an annual visitor to Welsh National Opera, where her last visit was to see Hansel and Gretel, aged 97.

A cash prize of £300 will be awarded to the highest-placed accompanist.

The prizes will be awarded not only for the performance of a balanced and well-designed programme but also for the most refined and developed sense of stagecraft. Competitors will find themselves adjudicated not only on the depth of their musicianship but also on how they present themselves and generally connect with an audience. A verbal introduction to the musical programme is an integral part of the performance.

We are very grateful to The Herbert Howells Society which is sponsoring the Herbert Howells Prize for the best performance of a song by Herbert Howells over the course of the Festival. Each adjudicator of singing competitions will nominate one singer and the winner will be chosen by agreement from among those nominees.

The Singing Recital and Accompanists’ Prize Competition will be live and will run from 10:30 am on Monday 25th April in the Free Church in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

The prize for the winning singer is given in memory of Edith Poulsen, who was born in Vienna on 10 April 1918, arrived in London on 6 April 1939 as a refugee and passed away on 4 April 2020. Her grandfather first took her as a 7 year old to see the opera Hansel and Gretel, and she became hooked, enjoying opera for the rest of her life. She was an annual visitor to Welsh National Opera, where her last visit was to see Hansel and Gretel, aged 97.

Download a copy of the 2022 Singing Syllabus updated on 11th February

We have extended the closing date to Friday 8th April.

Enter the Competition

Entries to the North London Festival are accepted only from performers living or studying in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

Our entry system, powered by Play and Perform, applies to all classes. Please click on the link below for how to apply and for hints on creating an effective video performance for online competitions. The first time you use the entry system, you will need to register. Entrants must also upload copies of the music.

Performance Opportunity

The North London Festival has a link with the Royal Orchestral Society – www.royalorchestralsociety.org.uk – which is celebrating its 150th anniversary season in 2022/2023. As part of that celebration, there will be a ‘Rising Talent’ evening in the Duke’s Hall of the Royal Academy of Music, at 6 pm on Sunday 16th October 2022. This concert will feature performances with the orchestra by talented young and upcoming soloists and will be followed by a reception with the ROS’s Patron Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music.

ROS will offer one or two of these performance opportunities to recent winners of the Festival’s elite competitions, such as the Edith Polson Prize Competition. You can still be eligible to take advantage of this opportunity by entering this year’s Competition.

Click the ‘red more’ button to see videos from 2018 and 2019